Improvement in baskets



R. B. WH E E LER.

-impro'vement in Baskets.

Patented' oct. 29,1872.

RosooE E. WHEELER, oE nownemanronrenn.

IMPRQVEMENT iN BASKETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l32,703, dated October 29, 1872i To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROSOOE B. WHEELER, of Dowagiac, in the county of Cass and State of Michigan, have invented certain Improvements in Baskets, of which the following is a sp ecii cation:

The nature of this invention relates to the construction of stave or splint baskets in which none of the parts are braided; the object being to produce as 'far as is practical a basket possessing the greatest utility with the least expense of production. v

To accomplish these purposes I construct a basket as set forth in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part. lhe letters of reference marked thereon indicate the parts represented by a similar letter in the written part of this spec iiication.

In the drawing, Figure l shows a top view of a device embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 shows a transverse` section through the diameter of the same, inwhich A represents the long splints. These splints form the central part of the basket-bottom, extending from the top of the basket on one side, across the bottom and up to the top on the opposite side,

, crossing each other radially in the bottom, di-

viding the circle into equal parts. B represents a short class of splints, equal in number to the number of spaces between the outer ends of splints A. The width of splints A and B should be such as will just till the circle at the top of the basket, coming edge to edge in the upper portion of the basket. Thus the outer surface of the basket is formed. C represents the splints or laminee, of which the inner surface of the basket is formed. These extend nearer the center than B so as to cover the ends of B, and, together with A and B, are confined at the lower ends between the hoops D I) and the upper ends between the hoops H R. I also employ the common bottom hoops E E in the same manner as they are commonly used in the construction of stave baskets. The splints or laminee C form the entire inner surface of the basket, except a portion of the bottom within the circle of the hoops D D. These lamin are not placed with any reference to breaking joints with the splints forming the outer surface of the basket, but are made to overlap each other. I am aware that baskets are made of a single series ofsuch overlappin g splints or laminze, but these are objectionable on account of liability to lateral displacement, causing open cracks, and the extreme roughness of the outer surface, as the splints will stand on a' tangent line to the circle of the basket, preventing the outer edges from folding close upon each other. But the same cause compels the inner edges to impinge upon each other.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is In a stave basket, the combination of the outer splints A coming edge to edge in the body of the basket with the inner series of overlapping splints G, said inner series extending on the bottom of the basket just beyond the inner hoops, and the two sets of bottom hoops D D and E E, all constructed as and for the purpose set forth. f

ROSOOE B. WHEELER.

Witnesses:

HENRY MICHAEL, ROBERT WA'rsoN. 

